AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tiffany Robinson remembered approaching her school’s assistant principal in tears.
“I was shaking, I was mad, I was upset, I was scared,” she said.
Robinson, a chemistry teacher at Jarrell High School, explained she never felt so afraid in her 18-year teaching career.
Two weeks after school started, Robinson recounted how she and her teaching aide struggled reining in her class while they waited to be dismissed to a pep rally.
She said it began when one student started yelling obscenities. Shortly after, three more students joined in, she said.
“There was a student in the front that was cussing and telling me that I was going to make him late. ‘Eff you, eff you, you're going to make me late. You don't know what you're doing,’ It's just on and on and on," she recounted.
She explained that one student, in particular, jumped up on a stool to further rile up the other students.
When the bell finally rang, the students left. But Robinson said she worried the group would return.
“I'm done,” she said. “I'm resigning. I'm not doing this. I'm not taking this anymore.”
That night, at 10 p.m., Robinson emailed her formal resignation to her principal and Board of Trustees.
Though Robinson’s incident stopped short of a physical altercation, in her resignation letter she expressed feeling fearful and unsafe.
“The constant behavior, discipline and disrespect issues daily have significantly impacted my ability to perform my duties effectively and safely,” she wrote.
In a statement to KXAN, a Jarrell ISD spokesperson did not speak directly to the incident in Robinson’s classroom but said the district condemns any form of violence or disrespect from students.
“At Jarrell ISD, we work hard with campus administrators and our Jarrell ISD Police Department to build an environment where teachers can perform their duties without fear, harassment or violence,” continued the statement.
Robinson is not alone in feeling unsafe in the classroom.
Texas school districts collectively reported 2,654 district employees being assaulted by a student in the 2023-2024 school year, an 18% increase from the year before, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. School districts are required to annually report the number of physical assaults against a district employee by a student to TEA.
But there can be discrepancies when districts report their numbers, according to Zeph Capo, a former public school science teacher and president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a union that advocates and provides resources to more than 65,000 public school employees.
“Some districts have better reporting practices,” he said. “Some districts use it more as a proactive measure to ensure that behaviors don't escalate out of control across their campuses and their districts.”
Educators in Texas have options in the event of an assault. If physically assaulted, teachers may apply for assault leave. This leave is separate from workers’ compensation, does not use any accrued leave time and may even last for two years.
After an assault, the district employee may apply for assault leave and the district must grant it immediately. However, a KXAN analysis of school district policies found districts can retroactively deny the request if they determine the incident did not meet the criteria.
According to the Texas Association of School Boards, each school district tracks the type of leave employees use. KXAN requested assault leave data from 29 Central Texas school districts since the 2018-2019 school year. A total of 340 assaults were reported by district officials across the time frame requested. However, the districts received few requests for assault leave, with only 46 days collectively approved.
According to Capo, many teachers are unaware of assault leave. Even though the law states assault leave may last two years with no docked pay, Capo said he usually sees teachers granted hours or a few days to recuperate.
“It's the cases where they've been dismissed or they've been left to feel like this thing that happened to them didn't happen is where people get angry or where they're looking for, frankly, somebody to tell them that they're not crazy,” he said. “That this is wrong and that it shouldn't have happened and acknowledge their pain or acknowledge where they're at.”
Assault leave does not account for psychological or minimal physical injuries — such as bruising or soreness — which Capo explained is the majority of cases he encounters.
“There is nothing that stops any principal or any school district from giving each and every one of those individuals that were assaulted in the — in the examples that you used — a day, two days, three days off to heal,” he said.
Prior to an assault happening, however, teachers and district employees can rely on laws that allow them to safeguard themselves, their students and their jobs.
The Safe Schools Act, championed by Texas AFT, gives teachers the authority to remove disruptive students from the classroom and seek legal help if necessary.
Martha Owen, special counsel to Texas AFT, works with teachers who have sought legal counsel after being assaulted in the classroom. Whether the removal is temporary or permanent, teachers understanding their right to protect themselves in the classroom is necessary for their protection and getting students in a better environment, she said.
Jarrell ISD said schools need backing from the Texas legislature to secure funding and implement security measures and mental health resources.
“We have to work together to make our schools safe havens for both educators and students. Violence of any kind has no place in our educational system,” the statement said.
The spokesperson added the district has “implemented programs that help students with character development and professional growth to foster a positive, inclusive culture to meet students' academic and behavioral needs. We're proud to be proactive in addressing these needs, reinforcing our commitment to a supportive environment where both educators and students can thrive.”
Robinson got an email from the associate principal the day after she hit send on her resignation letter. In the email, which KXAN reviewed, the administrator acknowledged the “ongoing concerns” in her classroom and outlined that disciplinary action had been taken with the involved students.
While appreciated, it didn’t bring Robinson back to the classroom. She did not plan on retiring for several more years, but at 56, she’s swearing off teaching entirely and pivoting to real estate. Still, she feels she has unfinished business.
“I think that's the part I miss the most, is being able to change those kids lives,” she said. “Just one at a time, being able to help them.”
Robinson said she wished she received support when she initially voiced concerns to her administration.
“These things are happening in other schools,” she said. “It's getting closer and closer to home. It's almost like you're just waiting for it to break.”
Senior Investigative Producer David Barer, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost and Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley contributed to this report.
